Railway truck



Oct. 25, 1960 w. T. ROSSELL 2,957,433

RAILWAY TRUCK Filed gay 22, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 ZZZZz'am Z 3055 6Z5 BY 7% I ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1960 w. T. ROSSELL RAILWAY TRUCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 22, 1957 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 25, 1960 w. T. ROSSELL RAILWAY TRUCK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 22, 1957 INVENTOR fi zilz'ail l'flajsal ATTORNEY RAILWAY TRUCK William T. Rossell, New Research Corporation, of New York Filed May 22, 1957, Ser. No. 660,871

12 Claims. (Cl. 105-197) York, N.Y., assignor to Transit New York, N.Y., a corporation This invention relates to rail trucks and has for its object to provide a truck having improved riding quality, improved stability at high speed and improved simplicity of construction.

The truck herein revealed is composed, essentially, running gear which strapped together and,

of a includes two motors resiliently in turn, resiliently supported by the axles, and a body supporting frame structure which assists in guiding the axles and which supports springs which carry a body supporting bolster. The running gear rrnay be considered as a self suflicient unit in that the axles support the motors without the aid of a truck frame, the .axles being driven by the motors. The springs are so :arranged that they transmit the loading of the body to :the frame at points immediately adjacent the journal bearrings.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved relation between the driving motors and the driven axles. ,As will hereinafter be more fully explained, the driving motors are each rigidly secured to a gear housing integral with an axle housing, the axle housings being resiliently supported on the journal bearings of the axle. This becomes possible by inserting a quill between each axle gearing and its axle whereby slight angular movement between the gears and their axle becomes feasible. Various forms of a quill construction may be used, no novelty being claimed for the form herein illustrated.

.Another object is to provide a truck frame composed essentially of side frames, springs and a bolster, the side frames being resiliently connected to the journal bearings so that the axles will be capable of slight relative axial and relative angular movements. The ends of the side frames are so constructed as to form seats for inclined springs in such fashion that the center line of the springs substantially intersects the axis of its axle.

Another object is to provide a springing system which is inherently unstable laterally and to provide novel means for stabilizing the bolster. More particularly, I provide a ride control link which anchors a point on the bolster remotely located below its normal center of roll to the truck side frame. The link is inclined at a substantial angle. The link requires that every vertical, lateral and rolling movement must each have a component in the other two. Thus no vertical movement of the bolster can occur except that it result also in some lateral and some rolling movement thereof. All springing move- :ments are disciplined as will be more fully explained here- 'inafter.

Another object is to provide a very safe truck by utilizing the hollow side frames as a housing for a brace rod which connects the ends of the side frames together. In the event of a failure of the springs, which would {permit the imposition of the weight of the body on the -*side frames, the brace rods would assist the side frames "to carry the load.

Other-objects and advantages will hereinafter become :more fully apparent as reference is had to the accompanyice.

2 ing darawings in which my invention is more fully illustrate Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improvedtruck,

Figure 2. is a longitudinal vertical section taken along the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is a transverse ve the line 33 of Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a horizontal section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical line 55 of Figure 1.

More particularly, the reference numeral 1 designates the two main driving motors which are oppositely faced. The motors are each provided with lugs 2 and 3, all of which have aligned openings therethrough to receive a common rod 4. The rod 4 is separated from each lug by a rubber ring 5, as seen in Figure 5. The motors are thus connected together through "a slightly resilient medium which opposes relative tilting of their axis endwise, but which permits rotative movement as is required to elevate or depress one wheel with respect to the other three.

Rigidly secured to the housing of each motor 1 is a drive shaft housing 6 which is rigidly secured to a gear housing 7 which envelops the axle gearing, generally designated by the numeral 8.

The gear housing 7 is integral with the axle housings 9 and 10, each of which extends into the annulus 11 formed on the housing of the journal 12, as shown in Figure 3. Each annulus opens in a direction to receive the end of an axle housing 9, 10 and is separated therefrom by a mass of rubber 13 which is both interiorly and exteriorly 'cal section taken along section taken along the of the housing end. The axle housings thus are resiliently connected to the journal bearings and hence the motors are resiliently sprung on the journal bearings.

Since the journal bearings 11, 12 and the axles 14- may move with respect to the axle housings 9, 10, the gearing 8 must be capable of permitting such movements. Many ways to permit this movement are known and the specific choice is no part of this invention. One way is to arrange so that each axle 14 has a short splined portion 15 engaging the internal teeth 16 of a quill 17. The quill 17 has external teeth 18 engaging similar internal teeth of a quill sheath 19 which carries the ring gear 20. The ring gear 20 engages the pinion 21 of the shaft of its motor 1.

The construction running gear.

The side frames are each composed of a tubular side rail or side member 21 connected at each end to an end piece 22 each of which has a cylindrical opening 23 therethrough to receive the annulus 11 of a journal bearing 12. A rubber ring 24 separates the walls of the opening 23 from the external surface of the annulus 11. Each of the side members 21 houses a safety rod 25 threaded at each end to receive a large nut 26 which abuts an internal shoulder 27 formed on each end piece 22. Thus if the tubular members 21 should break, the rods 25- would act as a safety measure, it being noted that the side members 21 are tension members and not expected to be capable of bearing the weight of a car body directly.

The end pieces 22 are each provided with seats'28 for main springs 29. The springs are composed of a stock of rubber rings which find an upper seat 30 underneath a bolster 3d. The springs incline toward each other when viewed from the side of the truck and also when viewed from either end of the truck, so that they form, together, a trusto-pyramidal spring support.

It so happens that these springs are unstable against lateral tilting forces, but if another type of springs were used, I would also employ the ride control link now to thus far described forms the truck extended protection within :claims.

be described. I first revealed the use of a ride control link in my co-pending application Serial Number 367,859 filed July 14, 1953, now Patent No. 2,903,970. The link therein shown required that every lateral motion of the bolster have a rolling component and that every rolling motion have a lateral component. The frequency of rolling motions and that of lateral motions were thus combined into one general frequency. The link now to be described has all of the advantages of the link there described. It also requires that every vertical, or lateral or rolling movement have a component in the other two. Vertical, lateral and rolling movements are so related that any impulse or force which occurs in any one direction is broken into components and applied in all three directions, in different amounts depending on the phase of each. The frequencies of all movements may be said to be scrambled. Since the frequencies of the three movements are different, each may go into resonance at a different speed, but when .the frequencies are scrambled resonance can not occur.

Now when We consider the car body having two trucks supporting it, it is obvious that the two ends of the body can not roll in different directions. The ride control link relates the vertical, lateral and roll of both trucks so that any impulse, force or other disturbance in any direction in one truck is broken into components in the other two directions which requires a transmission of a portion thereof to the other truck. It is thus broken into six components when the whole car is considered. The discipline and restraint and dissipation of energy is thus most effective. Snubbers are unnecessary and fish-tailing can not occur.

The improved ride control link is best shown in Figure 5. The bolster 31 has an opening or center pot 32 for a center bearing. A body is to be provided with a special or conventional mating member at each end for engagement with and to be supported thereon in such way that it can not tilt with respect to the bolster 31 but can rotate with respect thereto. Depending downwardly from the bolster at or near the center thereof is an elongated bracket 33. The lower end of this bracket may well be one of the lowest points of the truck since it must be remote from the normal center of tilt of the bolster and since it must correspond to the lower end The motors do not permit the use of a deep center pot in this truck nor do they permit the bracket to depend directly below the center of the center hearing. The normal center of roll without the link would be the center bearing pot.

The lower end of the bracket 33 is pivotally connected at 34 to the ride control link 35. The other end of the link is pivotally connected to a bracket 36 carried by a side frame 21. The link is given a substantial angle with respect to the horizontal, herein shown as being of the order of 35. Each end of the link is separated from its bracket by a rubber washer 37 to damp out some of the high frequency vibrations which find their way into the side frame 21.

Inspection will show that vertical deflection of the bolster and of the bracket 33 causes the link 35 to rotate about its pivot in the bracket 36. This causes the bolster of a deep center pot.

to roll and to move laterally. Similarly, any roll of the bolster must be about the pivot of the link 35 in the lower end 34 of the bracket 33. This induces both lateral and vertical movement of the bolster. Since every movement must result in some rolling, then it is clear that every movement by the bolster will be echoed in the bolster of the other truck. Forces are therefore dissipated in many directions thereby eliminating a build-up of resonance.

Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention and I therefore desire to be the scope of the appended What I claim is:

1. A rail truck comprising running gear and a body supporting assembly, said running gear comprising oppositely facing driving motors resiliently connected together, axles each having journal bearings at each end thereof, and axle housings each rigidly secured to one of said motors and each resiliently connected to said journal bearings, said motors each driving one of said axles through a gear train including a quill adapted to accept slight misalignments of the axles with respect to the driving shafts of said motors.

2. A rail truck comprising a running gear and a body supporting assembly, said running gear comprising oppositely facing driving motors resiliently connected together, axles having journal bearings at each end thereof, axle housings for said axles and resilient connections supporting said motors and said axle housings on said journal bearings, said resilient connections limiting the relative misalignment of said axles to small amounts, said assembly comprising truck side frames each resiliently connected to two journal bearings of different axles and main springs adapted to support a car body and, in turn, being supported by said side frames.

3. A rail truck comprising a running gear and a body supporting assembly, said running gear comprising oppositely facing driving motors resiliently connected together, axles having journal bearings at each end thereof, an axle housing for each of said axles each rigidly connected to one of said motors, and resilient connections supporting said motors and said axle housings on said journal bearings, said resilient connections limiting the relative misalignment of said axles to small amounts, said assembly comprising truck side frames each resiliently connected to the journal bearings on the same side of the truck and main springs adapted to support a car body and, in turn, being supported by said side frames near the ends of each of said frames.

4. A rail truck comprising running gear and a body supporting assembly, said running gear comprising two oppositely facing main motors resiliently connected together, axles having journal bearings at the ends thereof, and a housing for each of said axles to which said motors are rigidly secured, said journal bearings each having an annular housing with the annulus thereof opening in a direction to receive the end of said axle housing, the end of each axle housing projecting interiorly of its annulus and being separated therefrom by masses of rubber whereby said axles are permitted small relative angular movements with respect to each other, said body supporting assembly comprising truck side frames each resiliently connected at their ends to one of the journal bearings, and main springs adapted jointly to support a car body, and in turn, supported by said side frames.

5. A rail truck comprising running gear and a body supporting assembly, said running gear comprising two oppositely facing main motors resiliently connected together, axles having journal bearings at the ends thereof, and a housing for each of said axles to which said motors are rigidly secured, said journal bearings each having an annular housing with the annulus thereof opening in a direction to receive the end of said axle housing, the end of each axle housing projecting interiorly of its annulus and being separated therefrom by masses of rubber whereby said axles are permitted small relative angular movements with respect to each other, said body supporting assembly comprising side frames each terminating in a cylindrical formation, said formations each encircling the annulus of a journal bearing and being separated from the exterior surface thereof by a mass of rubber, and main springs supported by said side frames, said main springs being adapted jointly to support a truck bolster.

6. A rail truck comprising running gear and a body supporting assembly, said running gear comprising two oppositely facing main motors resiliently connected together, axles having journal bearings at the ends thereof,

and a housing for each of said axles to which said motors are rigidly secured, said journal bearings each having an annular housing with the annulus thereof opening in a direction to receive the end of said axle housing, the end of each axle housing projecting interiorly of its annulus and being separated therefrom by masses of rubber whereby said axles are permitted small relative angular movements with respect to each other, said body supporting assembly comprising side frames each terminating at each end in a cylindrical formation, said formations each encircling the annulus of a journal bearing and being separated from the exterior surface thereof by a ring of rubber, and main body springs adapted jointly to support a car body at their upper ends, each of said springs being supported at their lower ends on one of said formations whereby the weight imposed on said spring is transmitted to said formations in the direction of said journal bearings.

7. A rail truck comprising running gear and a body supporting assembly, said running gear comprising two oppositely facing main motors resiliently connected together, axles having journal bearings at the ends thereof, and a housing for each of said axles to which said motors are rigidly secured, said journal bearings each having an annular housing with the annulus thereof opening in a direction to receive the end of said axle housing, the end of each axle housing projecting interiorly of its annulus and being separated therefrom by masses of rubber whereby said axles are permitted small relative angular movements with respect to each other, said body supporting assembly comprising side frames each terminating at each end in a cylindrical formation, said formations each encircling the annulus of a journal bearing and being separated from the exterior surface thereof by a ring of rubber, a truck bolster, and spring resting on said formations at one end and supporting said bolster on their upper ends, said springs being substantially inclined to the vertical.

8. A truck frame comprising side rails and enlarged end pieces each cylindrically bored to receive a journal bearing, said side rails each being tubular, and a teenforcing bar threaded on at least one of its ends housed by each of said side rails, said re-enforcing bars being anchored by nuts on its threaded ends to said enlarged end pieces independently of said side rails and capable of sustaining loads in the event of failure of said side rails, said nuts when tightened to anchor said bar to said end pieces drawing said end pieces firmly against the ends of said side rails.

9. A rail truck comprising axles having journal bearings at each end thereof, side frames each supported by the journal bearings, a bolster having a center pot and being resiliently supported by said side frames, said bolster having a projection extending to a point remotely below said center pot, a bracket arising from one of said side frames and a link pivotally anchoring the bottom of said projection to said bracket, said link having a decided angle with respect to the horizontal.

10. A rail truck comprising axles having journal bearings at each end thereof, side frames each connecting the journal bearings at opposite ends of said truck, a bolster springingly supported by said side frames, a projection depending downwardly from said bolster to a point remotely below the normal center of roll of said bolster, a link pivotally anchoring the bottom of said projection to one of said side frames, said link being inclined downwardly from said side frame at a decided angle with respect to the horizontal.

11. A rail truck comprising axles having journal bearings at each end thereof, side frames each connecting the journal bearings at opposite ends of said truck, a bolster, inclined springs each resting on one of said side frames near one of said journal bearings supporting said bolster in unstable equilibrium with respect to rolling motions, said bolster having a projection extending to a point remotely below its center of roll, a link pivotally connected at one end to the bottom of said projection and at its other end to one of said side frames, said link having a decided inclination to the horizontal and acting to scramble all vertical, lateral and rolling motions of said bolster.

12. In a rail car comprising a body and two trucks and in which each truck is composed of a pair of axles each having a journal bearing, side frames connecting the journal bearings at opposite sides of said truck, a bolster, inclined springs each resting on one of said side frames near one of said journal bearings supporting said bolster in unstable equilibrium with respect to rolling motions, said bolsters each having a center bearing about which rolling would normally occur, the car body having a mating member at each end for engagement with each of said center bearings, said mating members and said center bearings permitting relative rotative movement of said body and said bolsters and restricting relative tilting thereof, the combination of a projection depending from each of the bolsters to a point remotely below the normal center of roll thereof and a link anchoring the bottom of each of said projections to an adjacent side frame, said link being pivotally connected at its end to a projection and to a side frame and having a decided inclination to the horizontal, said link in response to a vertical or lateral or rolling motion in one bolster inducing the other two motions in both bolsters.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,805,438 Brownyer May 12, 1931 2,140,038 Watts Dec. 13, 1938 2,208,625 Breer July 23, 1940 2,748,722 Williams June 5, 1956 

